


Day in the Life One-Shot - Secrets and Souvenirs

by Feral_Female



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Dates, M/M, doughnuts, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 08:23:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15747945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feral_Female/pseuds/Feral_Female
Summary: It’s time for another “Day in the Life” short. They are not part of any major time line.For those new to me and my world, these one-shots will be short little vignettes- some will be funny, some emotional, some erotic - but all will be either Jack or Ianto showing us the daily little mundane things in their lives, the things that they fight to preserve for us and for them.To quote Rhys Williams- “You do it so people can live their lives. And there’s nothing more important than that.”





	Day in the Life One-Shot - Secrets and Souvenirs

**Secrets and Souvenirs (Ianto)**

(Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.)

 

 

I glanced up from reading a rather fascinating article about how enjoying poetry is good for memory and self-reflection when the bell over the door jingled. I smiled at Tosh coming in for the morning. Her hair and raincoat were damp. She smiled sweetly, placed two large cups of something that smelled chocolatey and a box of baked goods beside my arm, and then leaned her elbows to the counter.

“Good morning, Ianto,” she beamed. I closed the magazine and returned her smile.

“Good morning,” I replied. “The others are already in,” I informed her while gently taking the lid off my hot chocolate. “Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome. Do you mind if I sit down for a bit?”

“Oh, no, not at all.” I hurried to stand up then waved at the lone stool.

“Isn’t there another seat?” she asked, leaning way over the counter to peer at my stool.

“No, there isn’t. There’s never anyone here but me.”

“Well we can share it then.” She peeled off the blue raincoat, draped it over the end of the counter, and then wiggled in to join me behind the cash register. I felt instantly ill-at-ease. “I thought we could visit this morning.”

“Oh. Yes, of course. That’s a lovely thought.”

She climbed up onto the stool, ran a hand over her damp skirt then smiled warmly at me. “It seems like we all come in here and just grunt at you. I’m sorry for not stopping now and then to chat.”

My mouth seemed unable to form words. How kind of her to stop and have hot chocolate with me. It was true that Owen, Gwen, and she tended to blow past me here. Even Jack had at first. Now, of course, he spent much more time hanging about but there had been months that I stood back here unseen by my coworkers. That hadn’t been a good time at all. Lots of dark things and darker emotions back then…

“No worries,” I mumbled awkwardly. “So, uh, how goes things?”

“Things are good.” She scooted closer to the counter then opened the box of doughnuts. “You pick first.” I smiled and plucked a chocolate-filled out. If I were going to drink a thousand calories I might as well blow it and eat another thousand calories. Extra time on the treadmill was in my immediate future unless Jack and I were taking part in afterhours Weevil chases. Those burned off the calories. “I like those too,” she confessed with a wink.

“How’s Chadwick? I keep meaning to ring him up but this job…”

“Yes, this job.” She sighed then lifted a sugar-coated from the box. “He’s quite wonderful to be honest.” Her smile was that of a woman who appeared to be quite sated. “We should do a double date sometime.”

“Why don’t I have you two over for dinner?” It had flown out of my mouth before I could stop it. Jack and I were still so newly coupled…if that was the right term. I didn’t want to force being domestic on him and scare him off loving me.

“That’s a great idea. Will Jack be there?”

 I reached for a napkin from the stack beside the register. “Well, yes, possibly.”

“Is he there quite a bit?”

“Sometimes.”

“Does he sleep there?”

I handed her a stiff paper napkin. Her brown eyes were filled with impish enthusiasm. I glanced at the open doorway to the depths of our base.

“More often than not anymore,” I admitted then took a bite of doughnut.

“I suspected as much. Are you and he now officially a couple?” She tore off a tiny bit of her doughnut and popped it into her mouth. I inched a bit closer in case Jack was prowling about.

“He’s not fond of the ‘C’ word so we rather tango around any terms for what we are.” I hated to spread gossip about Jack and I but it was nice to have a friend to discuss things with.

“Oh, I know how that goes. Chadwick and I are there now. I think I might love him. Do you think it’s too soon? You know him. Will he freak out if I whisper the ‘L’ word some night? Am I too old to love a man that young? Ugh. This romance stuff is so maddening!”

“It’s a nightmare at times. But then there are times…” A hazy image of Jack holding me just last night after making love and whispering that he loved me popped up. “Well, there are times that it’s not. As for Chadwick bolting, no, I don’t think he will. He’s a good bloke at heart. You seem quite happy and so I’d imagine he is as well.”

“Have you and Jack said it?”

“Possibly.” She gave me a sour look. I studied my doughnut. “There may have been words spoken that reflected our emotional connection.”

“So, he _has_ told you. About time. It’s obvious to everyone just by looking at you two together. Oh, Ianto, I’m so happy for you!” She slipped off the stool to give me a hug. I awkwardly squeezed her back.

“Ianto, did you happen to see those files for--” Jack jogged around the door into the information center. “Tosh! I didn’t know you’d snuck in. Are you plying my man Friday with special drinks and the choicest doughnut?”

“We were just visiting,” she said before gathering up her coat and her cocoa. “I should get to work. I have those hieroglyphs on that slab to try to decipher. Ianto, let’s set up that double date soon!” Off she went, her ponytail bouncing.

“Double date?” Jack asked with that saucy bit of side eye he threw so well.

“Dinner actually. Her and Chadwick. It would be our first dinner as a – uh, well, as two men who are working on a committed relationship.” Christ, that was painfully uncomfortable.

“As a couple, you mean?” I blinked and nodded. “And where would this dinner double date take place?”

“Our place. _My_ place, I meant. My place.” _Ianto, stop talking now._

His face broke into that smile. The one filled with perfect white teeth and dimples. The one that stole my breath and made me sloppy-minded.

“Dinner with Tosh and Chadwick as a couple sounds fine.” He leaned over the counter and stole a kiss. “Mm, chocolate Ianto.”

Then he was gone, off to attend to being Jack Harkness. I dropped to the stool, opened the cash register, and dug my diary out from under the removeable cash drawer. This morning’s events needed to be written down for posterity.

 

 

**The End**

 

 


End file.
